Ed looked over from his bed at Al, who was curled up in the corner. "What do you mean, Al?"
"You can only have dreams when you're asleep." Al whispered.
Ed looked at him skepticly.
"But I can sleep."
Ed frowned and leaned back into his bed. "Well... If it makes you feel better, Al, I guess you can say that."
"I know I can because I do." A picture of Barry the Chopper flashed thru Al's head. He curled up tighter in the pitch black room. Ed was in his bed and Al was curled up by the window. "If Barry knows he exists because he kills, than I know I exist because I can sleep. And this is my entire life." his voice became a hushed whisper, not even aduible to Ed.
Ed shifted and rolled over. He hated to admit this to himself, but at nights, he wanted to put as much space between him and his sleepless brother as he could. He knew it would happen some time or other. Al was going crazy.
Al looked up at the ceiling. "Brother... You have dreams, too. But you're not as lucky as I am. You don't live in your dreams."
Ed had become very uncomphortable all of a sudden. He looked down at the floor, and swore he saw a few tiny pairs of eyes staring at him thru the darkness. It made him jump.
Al ignored the sudden gasp from his older brother. "So lucky, so lucky..." Al murmered.
Ed sat up, and shot a glance at Al. "Al! Quit talking like that! You're becoming insane!" he shouted.
Al looked over, his eyes almost in disbelief. "It's not my fault that they tell me this!" he shouted back, pointing into the corner, the very spot where the room was darkest. "It's not my fault that they have no other way to spend their nights other than watching your dreams and talking to me!"
Ed's eyes widened. He looked into the black corner, imagining the pairs of tiny eyes blasting back at him. He pulled his gaze away and shook his head. "Al! Just stop, okay? There's nothing in here; nothing that can talk to you!"
Al closed his hands into fists. "I know I can sleep, Ed! They even tell me! I knew when they said your dreams about me were no good... I knew they were right! The fact that I can sleep makes me human, and you're crushing that feeling! You really did want me to be only how you want me to!"
Ed's heart stopped in his chest. Al wasn't going crazy. He wasn't insane. He was hurt.
"Al, there's no reason for me to ever want to change you. But when I brought you back, I had to make it so you couldn't sleep. I couldn't help it. I'm sorry." Ed lowered his head.
"I can sleep..." Al murmered again. "I really can... I sleep all the time, day and night. I live my dream." Al closed his eyes.
Ed sighed and lowered his head back to his pillow. "What sort of dream do you live?" he asked.
"Aren't there two types of dreams, Big Brother?" Al turned to look at Ed.
"Yeah. Dreams and nightmares. What sort of dream do you live in?"
"I don't live in a dream. If I did, I'd only have it at night. And I'd only have it when I closed my eyes, not when I opened them again. We'd have our boddies back, and Mom, and Winry would have her parents with her. The Ishbal war wouldn't have happened, and Homunculi wouldn't have been created. Nina and Tucker and Alexander and Nina's mom would all live together. You and Roy would get along. Dad would be home, and never leave. You would get along with him, too. Everybody would smile. There would be no bad guys or people in the dark. Our dreams would be secret to us and only us, unless we told them to others. And everybody would be friends. That's my dream. But I don't live in it." Al whispered, his voice going to high pitches.
"Then what do you mean?"
"I live in a place where people's dreams aren't theres. Mom isn't back, and you have fake limbs. I don't have a body. I'm not human. Wars and blood spill everywhere and people steal and kill. The dark is more than the light. People hate and aren't friends. People don't have their families with them. People are hurting and poor. That's the cold, hard world I live in."
"How is that a dream?" Ed raised an eyebrow. "You just said dreams were peaceful, Al. I don't get it."
"There are two kinds of dreams. I live in a nightmare."